The rich seem to be just getting richer. New England traded a 4th for the Colt's starting TE Allen and it looks like their locking up FA's best CB in Gilmore. They also might be trading Butler to New Orleans for Brandon Cooks. I guess that is why New England is BY FAR the best and most successful franchise in the NFL. They use all their tools and have built a dynasty because they are so versatile (trades, draft and UFAs).

No denying that the Patriots are the cream of the crop, but these aren't unanimously great moves. Gilmore has his warts as a corner and they're paying him a LOT of money to replace Logan Ryan, who was very good last year. Also, as good as Cooks may be, a lot of Pats fans are going to be outraged if they trade Butler. Of course they traded Jones and Collins, too, and those moves worked out... but just saying.

Gilmore had his ups and downs last year but he looked like an elite CB the year prior. I think Belichick will be much better at using him than Rex Ryan. This is also nice fall back if they can't workout a long term deal with Butler. As it sits right now, the Super Bowl champs EASILY have one of the best CB pairs in the NFL. The last time they made a move like this at CB, it directly resulted in a SB win. Gotta respect that their still out for blood and will do anything to consistently improve. Trading a 4th for Allen is a great move IMO. They've got extra picks and he's one of the best blocking TEs in the NFL who's also a very good receiver. His biggest issue has been health. Instead of paying Bennett top dollar they traded a 4th round pick for a very comparable TE who's signed long term to a decent contract.

RIGHT NOW, IMO New England is already better than the team that just won the last Super Bowl.

If anybody wants Butler, they should just sign him to a mega offer sheet and force the Pats to match. They may or may not be willing to pay two top dollar CBs and will just take the first round pick. I'm kind of shocked that Donta Hightower is still available. I have a feeling that New England is low balling him and waiting for him to come back at their price tag. I think the Packers should make him a solid, fair market offer. Having versatile guys like Matthews and Hightower would be huge for the Packers run defense and pass rush. He's a guy who can handle anything Dom throws out there.

The initial wave of NFL free agency is now complete, and while many of the league’s top available players are now off the board, there are still plenty of quality options still on the open market. Restricted and exclusive-rights free agents, as well as players who received the franchise tag, aren’t listed here, since the roadblocks in place to hinder another team from actually acquiring most of those players prevent them from being true free agents.

Here’s our breakdown of the current top 15 free agents by defensive position for 2017:

Although top-flight players such as Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams have already been signed, the crop of interior defenders remains strong at the top. The buzz around Johnathan Hankins has been virtually non-existent, as the only club that’s been even tangentially linked to the 25-year-old is the Redskins. He’s one of the youngest free agents on the market, and therefore is probably looking for a massive payday. But the lack of interest around Hankins may be an indication that he’s simply asking for too much money.

The remaining defensive interior players are mostly over-30 veterans, with names such as Tony McDaniel, Cullen Jenkins, Frostee Rucker, and Tyson Jackson still looking for new deals. While most of these guys can still play, they may have to wait awhile — possibly into the summer — before signing on with their next club. Jared Odrick (Patriots) and Vance Walker (Bears) have both taken visits, but the most intriguing lineman here may be Sen’Derrick Marks, who offers a good amount of pass rush from the interior.